


On a Day Like This You Know It's Meant to Be

by allwaswell16



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baseball, Chicago (City), Chicago Cubs, Fate & Destiny, I may have a bit of a problem, M/M, POV Harry, Pining, Yes I wrote another fic involving the Cubs, pact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 01:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9468407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allwaswell16/pseuds/allwaswell16
Summary: One year ago Harry Styles met Louis Tomlinson, the man of his dreams. Harry is certain he'll never see him again, even if they did make a pact to reunite should the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. Harry has one small flicker of hope left when it appears the Cubs might actually win it all. But will Louis fulfill his end of this fateful bargain?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a prompt challenge that a group of us are participating in for the prompt "Hinge". To read the other amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hinge/works) and to see all fics written as part of the challenge, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/2017_hl_prompt_challenge/works).
> 
> I wrote yet another fic involving the Chicago Cubs. I'm not even that sorry, but I swear I will try to restrain myself from doing this again. I just needed this one last hurrah. I promise you don't need to know shit about baseball to read this though, but if you're a Cubs fan, feel free to relive the glory with me. 
> 
> The title is from the song 'Glorious' by Natalie Imbruglia.

 

 

November 2015

Harry remembers everything about the day he met Louis.

He remembers it had been an unseasonably warm day, the heat radiating back at him off the concrete. He remembers that the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets played Game 5 of the World Series on the flat screen televisions lining the far wall of his favorite Lincoln Park bar. He remembers the crisp taste of the IPA he sipped when he sat at the bar alone, waiting for Niall to get off work. He remembers the sudden meeting of their eyes, an unfamiliar blue looking back at him across the bar. He remembers how surprised he was to see a face he didn't recognize here. He remembers he must have glanced Louis’ way enough that Max, their regular Thursday night bartender, noticed and intervened on his behalf with a free drink sent to Louis with the not so subtle implication it was from Harry. He remembers that their conversation had meandered through topics both important and unremarkable to anyone but them, but what he remembers most was the undeniable spark between them. He had felt the physical attraction of course--Louis was quite beautiful with his tanned skin and lean muscles and eyes sparkling with mischief--but there was something more between them. Something indefinable. Something Harry had never felt before.

Louis speaks with such passion for the things he loved: his family, his friends, the Chicago Cubs, his work. There is so much to admire about Louis. And it seems as though Louis was finding a mutual interest in Harry. But as Louis delves into more details about his work with a nonprofit environmental organization cleaning rivers, Harry begins to understand the reality of Louis’ life. Up to nine months living on barges. No apartment or house to come home to, not even a city. He stays with various friends for the few months he doesn’t spend on the barge. He doesn’t even own a cell phone, no reception for long stretches of time as they travel rivers across the Midwest and east to Washington, D.C. so why bother? Louis is in Chicago only to keep his boss company as he accepts yet another award for his service. It feels wrong to have both a strong connection to someone and at the same time know you have such a fragile hold on them.

Louis tells him that even though he’s chosen a life on the water for now, he’s always loved Chicago. Someday, he says, he’d like to put his degrees and knowledge and skills to work in a new way, here in the city.

As the Royals end the series in extra innings, Louis glances up at the glow of the television screens and makes him a promise that Harry’s vulnerable heart wants so badly to believe in.

 

*

October 2016

“Well, Mr. Styles, we look forward to having you on our team in the Miami office. We’ll have a contract ready for you to sign at the end of the week.” Harry reaches his hand out and grips Mr. Winston’s hand in a firm handshake, his smile more of a grimace. He's just glad to be leaving this place. What has this city ever brought him but heartache?

Miami. A new beginning. This transfer he’s been angling for has finally come through, and he's taking it and never looking back.

 

*

The clack of billiard balls rings through Harry’s ears as he takes a long sip of his gin and tonic. Their regular Lincoln Park bar holds all the same people it always does. Day after day. Week after week.

“Dude! We're gonna miss you so much though!” Niall exclaims, an arm thrown across Harry's shoulder and a glass of Guinness in his hand.

“I'll miss you guys, too, Nialler. I just--”

“How can you even think about leaving now? The Cubs are gonna do it this year! I can feel it! The whole city can feel it!”

“Right,” Harry says, his look darkening. “Chicago is nothing but disappointments. I have zero faith in a win tomorrow. The only reason they've made it this far is to toy with me.”

Zayn snorts. “Sure, Harry. The Cubs are in Game 7 of the World Series just to fuck with you.”

Liam turns his big brown puppy dog eyes on him. “Harry, I can't believe you didn't tell us you were thinking about transferring! This is a major life change. Why wouldn't you want to talk it out?” Hurt colors his voice.

Harry sighs. “I knew you'd all react like this. That's why I didn't tell you until it was a done deal. Guys, you know I'll miss you, but you can all come visit me when it's fucking miserable here and like negative twenty degrees out.”

“I guess I didn't realize how unhappy you were here, Haz,” Liam responds, hurt replaced with worry.

“I'm not--unhappy isn't the right word--just not happy.”

Now Zayn is looking at him gravely. Great. “You realize that sounds like the same thing,” Zayn states.

“Well, it's not. I'm not sad, just frustrated. I can't seem to meet anyone new. Everything feels the same--like I'm going nowhere. And the only good thing here is you guys, which don't get me wrong; That's worth a lot. I just need a change. Or like a sign to stay--I don't even know what I'm saying.” A wave of panic washes over him. What _is_ he even saying? He's made a huge life decision, and he never discussed it with anyone. Maybe there really is something very wrong with this plan. He finally lets himself think about the catalyst for this decision: meeting Louis.

Fuck, was that really a year ago? He distinctly remembers the World Series playing on the flat screens in the background of their conversation at this very bar, so yes, a year ago.

“A sign?” Liam questions.

“Like when the Cubbies win it all tomorrow? Because I’d say that’s a helluva sign to stay!” Niall raises a hand high in the air. “Don’t leave me hangin’, Harry!”

Harry reluctantly completes the high five. “I don’t think my decisions should hinge on the Cubs.”

He makes the mistake of looking at Zayn. A pair of perceptive brown eyes peer at him a bit too knowingly. “What did this all hinge on then? Or should I say _who_ did this hinge on?"

Liam whips his head around to look at Harry. “Who? What’s he talking about? Why does Zayn know what’s going on?”

“He doesn’t. Calm down, Liam,” Harry dismisses. “It has nothing to do with anyone.”

Harry watches as Liam’s eyebrows furrow together as he thinks. Great. That means Liam doesn’t believe him. He needs to work on his lying skills.

“You haven’t been seeing anyone that I’ve heard about,” Liam thinks aloud. “In fact, the last person you were excited about was like forever ago--you know, that guy you met here? What was his name? Luke?”

“Nah, it was Lewis,” Niall states before knocking a red three into the side pocket.

“Louis,” Zayn says quietly.

Harry hates his friends. How do they remember shit like this anyway? “Don’t know who you’re talking about,” Harry scoffs.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Zayn snorts. “You’re not even fooling Liam.”

“He seemed really nice,” Liam offers.

“He loved the Cubs,” Niall says with approval.

“He had a really nice ass,” Zayn says with a smirk. Harry punches him in the arm. “What? Don’t pretend you didn’t notice.”

“Shut up. None of that matters because I don’t know where he is, do I?”

“Did you ever look for him?” Liam asks.

“Fuck. I don’t want to talk about this.” Harry runs a hand through his hair in agitation.

“Of course he looked for him,” Zayn states unequivocally.

“How do you know?” Niall asks as he collects Liam’s money from the pool game. Liam grumbles about being distracted.

Zayn doesn’t even bother waiting for Harry’s response. “Did you even see them that night? Have you ever seen Harry’s face light up like that? And that ridiculous honking laugh he did? Haven’t heard it before or since.” Zayn frowns at that thought. “He lived on a barge though or something. Like basically off the grid.”

“Wait. Didn’t you have a deal with him? Something romantic? Like about fate or some shit?” Niall looks at him as the puzzle pieces click into place. “IT WAS ABOUT THE CUBS!”

Harry slumps onto the nearest stool. Yes, he and Louis had made a Cubs pact--to meet again here when the Cubs win it all, but Harry knows the chances of Louis fulfilling it are slim to none. He’s sure now that Louis didn’t mean anything by it. And really, who would have thought the Cubs would even be in the World Series a year later? God, he feels pathetic even thinking about it. Why do his friends have such long memories?

Niall hops about excitedly. “Harry! What the fuck, dude? When the Cubs win, Louis is showing up here!” Niall looks around as though Louis might already be here somewhere.

“Niall, Louis is not going to show up. That was a year ago. He probably doesn’t even remember some guy who hit on him when he visited Chicago an entire year ago.”

“You remember _him_ ,” Zayn points out.

“Look. It was clear he didn’t mean anything by it. He knew where to find me, and he never did. He obviously didn’t feel the same connection I did. Are you happy you made me say it? I’m done waiting for dumb signs.”

“You’re running away,” Zayn says.

“I gotta go,” Harry mumbles, hopping off the stool.

“Don’t forget about the game tomorrow night, Haz! Be here for the pre-gaming! It’s our year, baby!” Niall calls out after him.

Harry waves him off. “I’ll be here,” he calls back over his shoulder. He lets out a long sigh as he exits the bar and walks home.

*

 

Game day is here. The energy in the city is palpable. It crackles through the crisp November evening like electricity as everyone awaits Game 7 with bated breath. It feels like most of the city has descended on Wrigleyville, but the bars in Lincoln Park have their fair share of patrons tonight. Harry walks into their usual place to see Niall holding court and leading a rousing rendition of ‘Go Cubs Go.’

After Fowler leads off the game with a home run, even Harry with his foul mood is swept up in the magic. When Cleveland ties it up in the bottom of the third inning, Harry’s heart sinks a bit until the Cubs score two more runs in the fourth. Baez hits a homerun in the fifth, and Niall leaps atop the bar. No one thinks to scold him or ask him to come down. The Bryzzo duo score another run right before everything goes to shit. Joe Maddon pulls Hendricks off the mound, and everyone in the bar looks at each other in horror before the place erupts in yells and curses. With their  hearts  in their throats, the crowd cheers every good play and shudders at each poor one as Cleveland chips away at their lead. The game rolls on the tracks of an emotional roller coaster--every wild pitch, every error, every home run--all roil through the guts of every fan in the place. The game ties at six, and Harry could cry at the toll this is taking on him. He can’t help but have placed the last shred of his ridiculous hope on this game, and he’s sure now that the Cubs will turn from the retro Cubs winners back into the classic Cubs losers.

And that’s when it begins to rain.

The threatening clouds open across the Ohio sky, causing a rain delay. Because _of course a_ rain delay when there is a tie score in the ninth inning of game seven of the World Series.Liam brings him another beer, and Harry sips it as the tense minutes tick by. Five minutes. Ten minutes. At the twelfth minute of the rain delay Harry wonders if it’s worth sticking around for the end of the game. It’s late. He will wish he was at home if they lose this thing now. He motions to Max to close out his tab  when the door to the bar swings open. Harry turns to look because no one has entered or left the bar during the last hour as everyone watches the game in rapt suspense.

Harry stares with his mouth hung open in astonishment as he watches the man clad in a Bryant jersey searching the crowd, panting a bit as if he’s just run a few blocks to reach the bar. Harry feels frozen in place, his mind refusing to catch up with the idea that Louis, his Louis, could possibly be standing a few feet away. The Louis who has haunted him for the past year. The Louis he was so sure he would never see again.

“LOUIS! You’re late, dude! Are you seeing this game or what? We’re all shitting our pants over here!” Niall yells, still atop the bar, as though it’s perfectly natural that Louis has suddenly appeared after a year’s absence.

A bright smile crosses Louis’ face as he looks up at Niall. Harry’s body has finally responded, and he stands up from his stool just as Louis’ eyes dart to him. Louis walks over to him slowly as Harry drinks up the sight of him. His heart pounds out of rhythm.

“Hi.”

Harry has been hearing this voice in his dreams, and now it’s finally here in front of him.

“You’re here.”

“I am,” Louis replies.

“But...the Cubs haven’t won yet.”

“I know. I decided to have a little faith in them though. It feels like this is it. It’s destiny.” Louis’ blue eyes shine in the dim light of the bar, and Harry suddenly isn’t sure if he’s talking about the game still paused behind him or about something else entirely.

“Destiny,” Harry repeats. The rain delay ends, and the game resumes at the top of the tenth with a single and an amazing baserunning play.

“Harry?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve taken a really big chance to come here, and I’m pretty damn nervous. And this fucking game is killing me, but I need to tell you something before it’s over.”

“Okay,” Harry says, his heart again thumps out of rhythm.

“I’m an idiot for leaving so much of this to fate, but I did. And I hope I’m not too late, and that you still believe in fate, too.” Louis looks at him with hope shining brightly, and the light of it nearly brings Harry to his knees.

“I--don’t know. I mean, yes? I mean, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, but I knew as I watched this game that I was still holding onto one last shred of hope that I’d find you again.”

“I want you to know that I’m done leaving things to fate, Harry. That’s why I came before the Cubs win or lose. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I found I couldn’t wait even one more day.”

Zobrist breaks the tie with a clutch RBI double, and the bar explodes in frenzied cheers.

Louis nervously flicks his hair. “Harry, I’ve done something that might seem a bit preposterous, and I don’t want you to feel any obligation because of it.”

Harry looks at him curiously. “What did you do?”

“I moved to Chicago two weeks ago, and I’ve finally worked up the nerve to come back here to see if you would give me a chance even though I’ve foolishly left so much up to luck.”

“You moved here?!” Harry exclaims as his words are drowned out by Rizzo rounding home base to make the game 8-6.

“Yes,” Louis replies, a catch in his voice. “Um, how do you feel about that?”

Harry grins and tries to reply, but his answer is lost in the roar of the crowd as Bryant fields a grounder ending the tenth and wins the game and jumps into Rizzo’s arms.

Harry laughs and realizes Louis will never be able to hear what he says as the bar erupts around them. Instead, he answers by finding Louis’ lips as he’s imagined so many times, over so many months. Everything around them fades to background noise. In the years to come, this moment will never lose its magic in Harry’s mind. “I didn’t really want to live in Miami anyway,” Harry says as he leans back into Louis’ kiss.  
  
*

Please reblog this tumblr post if you liked it! xx     [On a Day Like This You Know It's Meant to Be](http://allwaswell16.tumblr.com/post/156402299741/on-a-day-like-this-you-know-its-meant-to-be-by)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to phdmama and taggiecb for betaing this fic for me! All the love to you both as well as the rest of the Squadron for all their support! xx
> 
> This fic almost didn't get written. I wrote part of it on my phone at Disney World, part written out by hand in a notebook while on an airplane, part on Google docs but then my internet went out, part on Microsoft Word awaiting the internet to come back, panicking and going to my parents house to retype it all on Google docs so I could get it betad when the internet STILL didn't come back on, and then finally edited it tonight on my laptop as my precious internet returned to me. I couldn't tell if this was fate telling me not to write it, or if I was supposed to keep fighting for it. I chose to fight. lol. Hope you enjoy it! If you did please consider reblogging the tumblr post for it! Thanks for reading! Come talk to me on tumblr anytime! xx


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